Island Activities For the Sunday Bunch

If you're coming in from out of town, chances are you'll be staying on the island with us on Saturday night. Since we'll all be hanging around in one of the most beautiful spots in the Northwest on Sunday, I thought I'd make a few suggestions for ways to enjoy it. Leave a comment if one of these options really sounds good to you. If enough folks are interested, we'll make an organized trip out of it. And if you're not staying on the island with us because you're lucky enough to live here, you're welcome to join in the fun, too. The more the merrier!

Here are a few suggestions for Sunday activities:

A 1.5 hour kayak tour around Deception Pass State Park. $25 for children, $35 for adults. Deception pass is one of the most beautiful parks in the area, in my opinion, and the 1.5 hour kayak trip requires no previous paddling experience. Jon and I have spent many happy days here, exploring the tide pools and kelp beds in our own boats. It's a great way to get up close and personal with the waters of Puget Sound.

A 3 hour kayak tour around Burrows Island. $59 for kids, $74 for adults. This is a longer trip that starts in Skyline Marina in Anacortes and explores the coastline of Burrows Island. I've paddled around Burrows a couple times as well, and have often seen harbor porpoises in the open water and giant starfish on the rocks, among other things. This is a really cool place!

Deception Pass Boat Tour. This is a little more "touristy" option for those of you who are interested in lounging on the deck of a jet boat for a gasoline-powered sightseeing trip. The boat has an open deck for 360-degree views of the pass, and the one hour tour costs around $25 per person.

Shellfishing at Clark Point on Guemes Island. Seriously! We can dig for clams and shuck oysters and eat them for dinner! A one-day license is available at the Ace Hardware in Anacortes for about $16. Bring shoes that you don't mind getting muddy!



Hiking in the Anacortes Community Forestlands: Just across from Guemes Island, on the mainland, Anacortes has some of the best municipal forests I've ever seen. There's something for everyone there. You can drive to the top of Mount Erie for amazing views of the San Juans and Puget Sound, hike to the top of a whole slew of little peaks for the same great views, take a short woodland walk or long trail run, or even go cliff-diving at Whistle Lake if you're brave! Ask Jon about that sometime... he's not scared of heights!

The view from Mt. Erie!

Townie stuff -- if you haven't gotten enough shopping in, there's always Anacortes just across the channel, and La Conner, which is just across the channel and down the road a piece. Bookstores, museums, restaurants and galleries galore!

Or... Just hang out at the Resort! They've got rowboats and sit-on-top kayaks, and there's lots of beach to comb for agates. You can enjoy the views from the top of Guemes Mountain if you're feeling like a short hike.